The mission of the Pilot and Feasibility (P&F) Program of the Penn DRC is to foster the development of new investigators and to provide seed support for innovative high-risk diabetes related projects, with an increasing emphasis on clinical and translational science. Over the past 2 funding periods (10 years), the Pilot and Feasibility Program has been highly successful in this regard. 46 investigators received P&F awards and, of these, 83% have garnered independent NIH support, the majority as R01s directly related to their P&F awards. During the previous funding period 28 traditional P&F grants were awarded among 89 applications submitted by investigators representing 27 Departments spanning multiple Schools and Institutes on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania as well as other Philadelphia Institutions. Of the funded grants, 80% were to new investigators and more than 15% were dedicated to clinical and translational projects. During the next funding period we propose to continue this core mission of the Pilot and Feasibility Program. Given the past successes of the program, the increasing cost of performing research in the setting of an ever more competitive general funding environment, and the clear need based on the steady influx of applications from both within and outside the diabetes research community, it is critical to continue the mission of the P&F Program.